We Love Our Presidents

Saturday, February 18, 2017

WALK & Celebration 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Walk begins at 10:00 followed by noon celebration

In his positive FB post community leader Paul Ostrow reminds young neighbors and their elders that “You don’t have to love all the Presidents to Love Our Presidents Walk. It is a great way to celebrate American history and our northeast community at the same time.”

Recognizing the value of being inclusive, and knowing that the legendary event honors the legacy of their community, Northeast Minneapolis youth will join in the traditional President’s Day walk. Neighbors of every age who live and learn on streets that bear the names that honor the memories of national leaders will walk to celebrate and learn about their neighborhood and past presidents of the U.S.

Northeast neighbors – including Northeasters past, present and future, their friends and families – will gather at 10:00 AM at Northeast Library, 2200 Central Avenue Northeast – All will walk up Central Avenue with a pause for a cocoa break at Eastside Food Coop – then on to Audubon Park and further on to Northeast Middle School for a chance to warm up and enjoy a chili lunch break that features drawings, presidential trivia, awards for the locally famous coloring contest, and a chance to mingle with friends and neighbors.

Through first-class education, a generation marches down the long uncertain road of the future with confidence. Wynton Marsalis

“The crisis in Black education” is the theme – and challenge – of Black History Month 2017. Perhaps more than ever resources and learning opportunities abound. And, more than even, the challenge is well nigh overwhelming – for families, or schools, or this democracy. At the national, state and local levels concerned individuals and organizations are struggling to stem the tide of fake news, alternative facts, pull-back on funding for arts and humanities, and potential disruption of the very premise of public education.

Fortunately, the concern is nonpartisan and ubiquitous – and the resources expand by the hour!

Background:

Carter G. Woodson, (1875-1950) noted Black scholar and historian and son of former slaves, founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915, which was later renamed the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). He initiated Black History Week, February 12, 1926. For many years the second week of February (chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln) was celebrated by Black people in the United States. In 1976, as part of the nation’s Bicentennial, it was expanded and became established as Black History Month, and is now celebrated throughout North America.

Here are just a few of the opportunities to learn, to gather, to focus on how best we can individually and as communities fully understand then meet the challenge. We won’t find answers in one short month – but we won’t seek answers until we come to grip with the questions. Not all but some, or even one, may speak to you as a parent, grandparent, student, teacher, voter, employer and citizen aware that “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

The theme or this year’s Black History Month is “The Crisis in Black Education,” a theme that sparks a multitude of events, tools and approaches, some of which will show up in forthcoming posts. Legal Services Corporation has issued a unique challenge to students that takes precedence because there are deadlines involved — and students occasionally need early notice to meet deadlines……

LSC challenges young learners, future leaders, to think creatively about the implications of “The Crisis in Black Education” on their own lives. Creative folks that they are, they think in special ways about how students may want to express their thoughts — in writing ( essays/poetry/short story ), video, art/photography or music.

Attached here are the guidelines for each category. Though there’s not a lot of time till entries are due creative energy may be pent up, ready to be shared through the arts. LSC envisions artistic expression that moves young minds beyond news and data into free expression of ideas and feelings!

PARTNERING FOR THE FUTURE
2017 BLACK HISTORY MONTH CHALLENGE

The Crisis in Black Education – How Am I Impacted?

CHALLENGE GUIDELINES – ESSAY/POETRY/SHORT STORY

Essay, short story, or poem must be written based on the theme The Crisis in Black Education – How Am I Impacted.

Essay, short story, or poem submission must be solely the student’s original work.

The essay, short story, or poem must clearly reflect the student’s point of view (e.g., an essay should not simply be a report of historical facts).

Essay, short story, or poem must not include any offensive or derogatory language.

Essay or short story must be a minimum of 1,000 words and not exceed three (3) typed pages (double spaced) on 8-1/2 X 11 in font size 12.

Poem should not exceed two (2) typed pages (double spaced) on 8-1/2 X 11 in font size 12. No minimum number of words.

Submission must include the student’s name and grade.

Must be accompanied by a submission form.

Submissions that do not adhere to all of the challenge guidelines will not be eligible.

All entries must be submitted to the Legal Services Corporation by no later than 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 17, 2017 to qualify. No late submissions will be accepted.

Video must not include any offensive or derogatory language or images.

Videos may be submitted with a web link to an accessible video website such as YouTube or Vimeo.

Video submissions must include an explanation or description of the work and its connection to the theme. Explanation/description should be typed on an 8 1/2” x 11” sheet of paper and include the student’s name and grade.

Video must be accompanied by a submission form.

Submissions that do not adhere to all of the challenge guidelines will not be eligible.

All entries must be submitted to the Legal Services Corporation by no later than 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 17, 2017 to qualify. No late submissions will be accepted.

Art/photography must be no larger than 24” x 36” and must be mounted on foam poster board or other rigid surface.

Art/photography must not include any offensive or derogatory language or images.

Artistic submissions must include an explanation or description of the work and its connection to the theme. Explanation/description should be typed on an 8 1/2” x 11” sheet of paper and include the student’s name and grade.

Must be accompanied by a submission form.

Submissions that do not adhere to all of the challenge guidelines will not be eligible.

All entries must be submitted to the Legal Services Corporation by no later than 5:00 p.m. Friday, February 17, 2017 to qualify. No late submissions will be accepted.

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on occasions that I wish it always to be kept alive.

Thomas Jefferson

As resistance spiked this weekend – at airports, in the streets, and above all in the media, people throughout the nation are making plans for future marches and other public statements of resistance. As the list of local and national protests expands by the hour this is but a smattering of the sorts of initiatives that are in the works. Past posts have covered these:

We have just received this message from Friends of the St Paul Library, current sponsor of the Minnesota Book Awards:

We are pleased to announce the finalists in all nine categories for the 29th Annual Minnesota Book Awards. Chosen on Saturday, January 28, by 27 judges from around the state – writers, teachers, librarians, booksellers, and others from the literary community – the finalists are….

Award winners will be announced at the 29th Annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony on Saturday, April 8, at the InterContinental Hotel Saint Paul Riverfront. The Preface reception begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by the Awards Ceremony at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40-$55 and available by visiting http://www.thefriends.org or calling 651-222-3242. The official hashtag for social media is #mnbookawards. All are encouraged to use it when posting comments, status updates or tweeting about any of the authors or their books.

Did you miss your chance to join the 400,000 concerned citizens who participated in the People’s Climate March in September 2014; that event was held in conjunction with the United Nations climate summit in New York. (http://www.un.org/climatechange/summit/) Not to worry, just like global warming itself, the march continues.

On April 29 Americans will march again!

In announcing the People’s Climate March Michael Brune, Executive Director of Sierra Club warned that “our planet is in crisis, and voices from around the nation must and will be heard.”

Need a break? Plan ahead for the ninth annual Italian Film Festival of Minneapolis/St Paul. It’s set for February 16-19 at various sites, including St Anthony Main Theater and the Minneapolis Event Center, just around the corner at 212 2nd Street Southeast.

The Festival features eight contemporary Italian movies and a celebration of director Sergio Leone, with a screening of his masterpiece Once Upon a Time in the West.

Sponsors promise a broad range of films – “blockbuster comedies, searing dramas, and thought-provoking and touching films that explore the vast complexities of Italy and its people.” The opening night film is Quo Vado? the highest grossing film in Italian history.

The Film Festival bursts on the scene with an Opening Night Party and Live Auction at the Minneapolis Event Center. Guests are invited to sample complimentary appetizers and drinks while placing bids on unique items at the live auction. Word has it the possibilities include a Sergio Leone gift basket, dinner certificates at Italian Eatery and Pazzaluna, opera and Chanhassen Dinner theater tickets, and a tour of WCCO.

For a full schedule of the films, programs and tickets go to mspfilm.org/IFF2017.